DESCRIBED by her colleagues as a “quiet achiever” with a growth mentality, Northern District Community Health’s Jacquelyn Minnis was a deserved nominee for a statewide award.
Ms Minnis was nominated for the Outstanding Contribution to Rural Allied Health award as part of the Victorian Rural Health Awards, demonstrating her passion and dedication to rural medicine as a speech pathologist and allied health team leader at NDCH.
While Ms Minnis missed out on winning the top honour, which was presented at an online awards ceremony last Tuesday night, NDCH general manager of programs and services Alexia Stephens told the Gannawarra Times it was great recognition for her colleague just to be nominated.
“Regardless of the result, it is really fantastic to be nominated, and for us it is really exciting that Jacqui has been a finalist and we’re excited for her,” Ms Stephens said.
“I think that’s a real feather in her cap, as well as for us at NDCH, to be nominated with so many other great nominees.”
The Victorian Rural Health Awards honour and celebrate the exceptional achievements of medical professionals, nurses, allied health professionals, Aboriginal health workers and practice managers across rural Victoria, whose commitments and contributions have made a profound impact on the lives of individuals and families in rural Victoria.
Ms Minnis has worked at NDCH for the past seven years both in a team and as a sole practitioner.
Ms Stephens said Ms Minnis had been able to lead a diverse team to work together, breaking down barriers to health-care access for some of the community’s most vulnerable.
“Jacqui is very much a quiet achiever – she does this great work without any expectation of being acknowledged or awards or anything of that nature,” Ms Stephens said.
“It was a real opportunity to be able to talk about Jacqui and the great work that she is doing to support both the community and our organisation and allied health in broader sense on a bigger stage.”
